Clayton Gordon Barr MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 representing Cessnock

Electoral district of Cessnock

Cessnock is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in the rural fringe of the Hunter. It is represented by Clayton Barr of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...

 for the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 since 2011

New South Wales state election, 2011

Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal-National coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.New South Wales has...

.

Prior to entering Parliament, Barr was a teacher, gaining his Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Education

A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...

 at The University of Newcastle in 1993 and teaching at Mount View High School until 2003. He then worked with Canteen

Canteen

Canteen has several different meanings:*Canteen , a water container*Canteen , a cafe, restaurant, or cafeteria provided for the use of students, workers, or soldiers at a particular school, office, or military base...

 - a children's cancer charity - until 2009, before a short stint in the office of Kerry Hickey

Kerry Hickey

Kerry Arthur Hickey , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Cessnock between 1999 and 2011 for the Australian Labor Party....

, MP. From late 2009 until 2011, Barr was employed by the Port Stephens Council.

In January 2011, Barr received a threat in the mail aimed at his pregnant wife and children. His wife opened the letter which said: "Clay pulls out or I start shooting kids." Barr reported the threat to the NSW Police.